Have Yourself A Happy Little Birthday
by PoeticallyIncorrect1
Summary: Mary's birthday, Marshall, a car sick witness and the road trip from Hell. Rating for a few words. Title changed to correct one.
1. Road Trip From Hell

_**Have Yourself A Happy Little Birthday**_

_It's been said that life is like a journey; each birthday a milestone marking the way. We begin that journey having no idea how long it will take or where it ultimately ends. But we celebrate each mile traveled looking forward to the next. Never really knowing if that will be the last. At time it seems to take forever and often we wish desperately that we could go back and repeat that last mile traveled. But steps once taken can never be completely erased. And neither the journey began again._

This had to be the worst birthday she had spent in a long Mary decided as she impatiently crawled along with the rest of the traffic. Her she was transporting a still traumatized and very car sick witness stuck in the middle of a traffic jam on the freeway. It was over a hundred and ten degrees but they had long since rolled down the windows in a vain attempt to air out the car. Now to make matters worse her partner was starting to look a little green around the gills and the last thing she needed to do was dealing with _two_ sick people. "Damn it, Marshall!" she growled patience long gone. "_If _you end up puking in the car, I am gonna make you clean it up and then so help me I'll kill you!"

He sighed and sat up straighter in the seat knowing full well she was quite capable of carrying out the first part of the threat. "I'll do my best not to until we make our next stop," he replied.

Mary lowered her voice and said, "I told you that salad looked awfully strange. And what kind of place is _The Flying Saucer Café_ anyway?"

Marshall shrugged and replied. "It is Roswell after all so what did you expect? Unofficially known as the UFO capital of the USA ever since 194-"

She quickly cut him off before he could expound on how the town came to get it designation "Next time I want to eat someplace where the menu doesn't sound like it belongs on the _Starship Enterprise."_

He chuckled slightly at her last comment and reached to turn on the radio hoping to find something to listen to in a vain attempt to take his mind off his misery. The station was playing _Trip Around The World _by Jimmy Buffet and Martina McBride so she switched it off quickly. From the backseat came more crying and gagging from their passenger and they both groaned, wishing for an end of what was quickly turning out to be _the road trip from Hell._

Finally after what seemed like hours, the traffic sped up and thinned enough that Mary could take the next exit ramp and soon pulled into the a nearly deserted gas station/convenience store. Parking close to the outside restrooms for the convenience of both, she watched as he partner made a rather hasty exit from the car and headed for the men's room. Carefully escorting the younger woman into the adjoining restroom she went to get her a change of clothes. Pausing by the other restroom her annoyance was beginning to turn to something resembling concern as she heard the unmistakable sounds of Marshall getting sick. "Damn I hope its just lunch disagreeing him," she muttered and headed back to Tanya.

Having managing to just barely keep the contents of his stomach to stay where it belonged, Marshall rushed into the restroom and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet . It was at that precise moment the nausea gained the upper hand and he was miserably sick. When the heaving finally eased up, he pulled himself to his feet and went to try and rinse out his mouth.

"Tanya, can I come in? I have something clean for you to put on" Mary asked, knocking lightly on the restroom door .

She heard sniffles and a teary voice respond. "Okay."

The older woman pushed open thee door wide enough to slip in and found the witness standing in the middle of the room in her underwear. "I'll see if I can get a plastic bag for your clothes."

"Don't bother because I don't think I'm ever gonna want to wear these again," Tanya answered.

"Okay. Hey, do you want me to get me some water or anything? I'm gonna get some for my partner since he's sick _too_," Mary offered. "We all ate different things and so far I'm the only one not sick."

"I don't think it was lunch. It's just when I think about Jordan…"her voice trailed off and she dabbed at her eyes with a wad of toilet paper.

"This whole thing has gotta be overwhelming for anybody. When we get back to Albuquerque we'll start your process into witness protection and then we'll take you to the motel we arranged for the night. Meanwhile why don't you get dressed and meet us outside."

"I'm really sorry about the mess in the car," Tanya said.

Don't worry about it," Mary assured her and went to check on Marshall. Hearing water running she rapped on the door. "You okay in there?"

"Yeah.," he replied. "Be out in a minute."

"Take your time . I'm gonna go get some water and stuff in the store," Mary answered.

"What about the car?" Marshall asked.

"I'll take care of it," she replied heading for the door. Inside was a couple of video games and teen-aged boy with the look of one desperate to play but no more quarters. "Hey, kid, you wanna make a little money?"

"Doing what?" he asked, eyeing her badge and gun both in clear view.

"I had a passenger get a little car sick in the backseat. If you clean it up I have ten bucks for you. That should keep you in quarters for awhile," Mary answered..

"Okay. But you better pay up," the boy replied.

"Here's some money fro paper towels and I'll give you the rest when you're done," Mary said, reaching into her wallet and handing over a five.

Marshall finally emerged from the rest room to see the doors open on the SUV and the teenager rapidly going through the roll of paper towels. "I assume he has permission to be there?" the US Marshall asked turning to look at his partner.

"Yep. I bribed him to clean up the mess," she answered handing Marshall a bottle of water. "Feeling better ?"

"Yeah. But I don't think we're going to be stopping there again next time we're in Roswell.," he commented.

"Good choice," she replied clapping him on the shoulder. "I got you some gum since I don't wanna be riding all the way home having to smell your puke breath." Have you seen Tanya?"

"Nope," Marshall replied opening the bottle and taking a drink.

"She's probably still getting changed," Mary commented. "I'll go check on her."

The kid finally finished his task and walked over to Mary saying, "Okay I'm finished but cleaning that mess was worth a hell of a lot more than just 10.00"

"Okay. I'll give you twenty and write down on the expense report," she answered looking at Marshall.

That's better," the kid replied taking the offered bill and heading off to get his much desired quarters.

"Video game addict. They'd sell their own grandma for a fix,". Mary commented.

"I'm ready to go," Tanya said hesitantly.

"Okay. Look I got some plastic bags just in case you get sick again," Mary told her. "Once we hit the freeway we've only got an hour or so to Albuquerque. Think you can hold on that long?"

"I think so," the younger woman answered getting into the vehicle.

Mary shot a questioning glance at Marshall who was already in the passenger seat fastening his seatbelt and giving her an affirmative nod in return. Getting behind the wheel she started the engine.

The trip back to Albuquerque was fortunately made with no one getting sick. Pulling into the parking lot of the Witsec building, they headed up to the office. "Just make yourself comfortable and we'll be with you in few minutes," Mary said as she went to get some sodas from the vending machine; ginger ale for Tanya and Marshall and a diet Coke for herself.

Marshall w as already seated at the table with the rather thick book of regulations. Taking the can pushed in front of him he popped the top and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied and turned to Tanya. "This sounds rather complicated in the beginning but it actually isn't. Now item number one."

After several hours of listening and asking questions Tanya finally asked, "Can we finish this up tomorrow please. I really just want to go lie down."

"Sure we can," Mary replied glancing at the clock. "I'll just drive you to the motel and we can all call it a night."

"Thank you," the younger woman said softly and got to her feet.

"I'll see about arranging you an off campus apartment so that you won't be moving in and out of dorms," Mary was saying as they headed for the door. She glanced over her shoulder at Marshall. "You gonna come along?"

"Nah, I think you can get her settled in all by yourself. I'll just stay here and tackle the paperwork.

"Suit yourself then," his partner replied. "I shouldn't be too long."


	2. Birthday Pie?

_A/N I couldn't let Mary have a bad day now could I?_

_**Have Yourself A Happy Little Birthday**_

It was getting late by the time Mary returned to the office after getting Tanya squared away at the motel and reminding her that she'd be by to pick her up in the morning. Upon finding Marshall still at his desk, a nearly depleted pile of paperwork and the empty can of ginger ale by his side, she stated, "I thought you'd have left by now," sounding somewhat surprised.

He shook his head and replied, "No can do. I picked you up this morning remember?"

"Oh yeah," she answered, sticking Tanya's file in a locked desk drawer and pausing to reach fro the simple white envelope lying right in the middle and held in place by her paperweight . Opening it up she with drew a somewhat humorous birthday card and quickly read it over smiling at the scribbled comment and the gift card for her favorite barbeque joint included. "Marshall, thank you."

"And you thought nobody remembered your birthday," he replied getting to his feet and tossing the empty can in the trash. "You ready to go?"

"I am," she said, sticking the card in her pocket.

"So, have you got any big plans to celebrate with your family?' Marshall casually asked as they made their way out to his car in the nearly deserted parking lot.

"Nope. By some twist of fate both Jinx and Brandi have taken off fort a few days so I am enjoying the peace and solitude. You want to come in for a drink when we get to the house? I think jinx has some ginger ale still stashed in the fridge." Mary invited..

"Well, maybe just for a few minutes. It has been a long day," Marshall decided.

"I think Tanya may be one of the easier witnesses to place," Mary commented as they sped along the quiet streets. "Her parents and younger sister were killed by a drunk driver when she was six and since then it's been a succession of foster homes. IF everything goes as scheduled, she should be enrolled in college in time for the next semester."

"Hey before we make it to your place I need to make a quick stop first," Marshall said making a quick turn to head in a different direction. He soon pulled into the parking lot of a 24/7 discount store. "Wait right here since I'm only gonna be a few minutes."

All right," she replied,

True to his word Marshall was back within five minutes with a bakery box in hand. "Just a little something to go with the drink," he explained handing it to her and preparing to get behind the wheel.

Looking at the bakery box, Mary asked, "You went and bought me a cake"

"There were out of cakes so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for pie. I did get candles though," Marshall replied, sounding pleased as he patted his shirt pocket.

"Who ever heard of _birthday pie_?" she asked. "No don't answer since I'm sure you'll have something to say."

"Very funny," he replied.

Despite the fact that her family members had deserted the premises, Mary still half expected that when she opened the door to see the lights go and hear the cry of "Surprise!" But the room remained dark until she flipped on the switch. Looking over at Marshall she said, "Why don't just take the pie into the kitchen?"

He gently pointed her toward the living room couch. "Now you just take a seat and let me do the rest," he suggested.

"Fine. But I wanna get a drink first," she replied, heading for the fridge and pulled out a bottle of her favorite beer which fortunately neither of her housemates particularly liked. "You want a beer or the ginger ale?"

"Ginger ale," he decided. "Now get out of here and let me get to work."

"Okay, okay," Mary replied backing out of the kitchen. "But what ever you're planning better be good."

"Oh, it is," Marshall assured her.

Mary was sitting on the couch sipping her beer when she saw Marshall appeared. He was carrying two plates with what appeared to be lemon meringue pie one of which ad a bright pink candle stuck in it and he was singing _Happy Birthday._

Quickly finishing his song with a flourish he handed her the plate with the candle and pulled out a polka dot lighter and flicked it open to light the candle. "Now make a wish and blow out the candle," he instructed.

"I know what to do," she replied. Closing he r eyes she thought quickly. _I wish that my life wasn't so damned complicated. _Then taking a deep breath she easily blew out the candle.

"Gonna share that wish?" Marshall replied returning from the kitchen with a glass of ginger ale and ice.

"You know if you do then it doesn't come true," Mary reminded him.

"Yep. I know. Just thought I'd ask," he replied, setting the glass on the table and dropping down onto the couch stretching out his long legs in front of him.

"You and I both know is that the reason you only bought pie is because you like it so much better than cake," she teased.

"I like some kinds of cake," Marshall replied.

"Name one," she challenged.

"Well, there is homemade applesauce spice cake. My Grandmother used to make it for my birthday and so far I've never found one that equals hers," he answered taking a bite of the pie.

"At least you didn't try and stick a candle in a bagel," she said.

"You miss your family today?' Marshall asked after a few minutes.

"I kinda do. They could've at least called or left a card or something. Even Raph seems to have for gotten all about it," Mary admitted.

"Did you ever tell him when it was?" Marshall asked.

"No. I just slipped my mind although Brandi could have since they seem to spend so much time together," Mary answered sounding a little wistful

"You know that family doesn't always have to mean the people you're related to," Marshall was saying

.She looked thoughtful for a moment and asked, "Can _family_ include a walking talking encyclopedia of mostly useless trivia?"

"Sure, if you want it to," Marshall replied.

"I think I do."

"So where do I fit in?" he asked.

"Let's see, for now I think I'll make you the bratty younger brother," Mary said with a smirk.

"It wounds me that you would play the age card," Marshall replied, falling back against the back of the couch.

She picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Listen up, Junior, I've probably been kicking outlaw butt longer than you have and doing it twice as hard since no one takes me serious because I'm a girl," she retorted.

He threw up in hands saying, "God forbid I ever not take you serious, Mary. I've seen what you're capable of."

"Well you're the only partner I've ever had who can outshoot me," Mary conceded.

Marshall chuckled and said, "Well, you never should have made that bet with me. I've been handlin' firearms ever since I could aim and shoot straight."

Mary stifled a yawn and said, "I'll take the plates to the kitchen and then I think I'll get ready for bed. You can head off now."

"I think I'll finish the ginger ale first," he replied.

"Hey, Marshall," she said.

"What?"

"I wanted to thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday," she said softly.

"It was my pleasure. Nobody should have to spend their birthday alone," he answered watching her carry the dishes to the kitchen.

After rinsing off the plates and forks she set them in the drainer before heading to her bedroom to change into cut of plaid sleep pants and an over sized T shirt.

Returning to the living room she heard the sound of soft snoring and a slight smile played about her lips as she saw that he r partner had drifted off to sleep. Making sure the half empty glass was setting far back on the coffee table, she bent down to pull off his boots and then maneuvered his long legs onto the couch. Reaching for a crocheted afghan, she lightly covered him with it and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek saying, "Good night, Doofus." Still smiling she headed for her own bedroom, placing the card on the night stand before crawling into bed and switching off the light.

_Maybe this birthday wasn't so bad after all_ Mary decided as she drifted off into sleep.


	3. Breakfast And Bagels

_A/N You know we had to have the next morning. _

_**Have Yourself A Happy Little Birthday**_

The alarm clock awakened Mary and she sat up slowly switching it off. Then getting to her feet, she headed for the living room to see if Marshall was still there and seeing the empty couch and the neatly folded afghan she felt almost a pang of disappointment that he was gone. With a sigh she headed for the kitchen to get coffee on while she got ready fro work.

The empty glass was rinsed out and in the drainer and lying on the kitchen counter was a note written in burgundy ink on the back of the store receipt. Picking it up she read; _Had to go home and get ready for work but I'll be by to pick you up. PS don't worry about breakfast—my treat. Marshall_

Breakfast she knew would most likely consist of coffee and bagels probably from _Bagful o' Bagels._. The place boasted that it carried 101 flavors and she swore he had to be trying _every_ single one since most times he had a different flavor. With the note in hand she headed off to shower and get dressed choosing her usual uniform of dark jeans, white blouse and a dark blue blazer.

While Mary was waiting somewhat impatiently for her partner to arrive she couldn't help but think of last night and a message she'd gotten once in a fortune cookie came to mind. _More pleasure is ina simple meal shared than a feast eaten alone _She had enjoyed it all, the pie and quirky conversation even though she knew he probably been feeling all that great. But he'd done what he could to make sure she had an enjoyable birthday and he'd done it all without asking nothing from her in return.

She was so deep in thought that she wasn't aware that Marshall had arrived until she heard footsteps behind her. That made he jump and simultaneously reach fro her gun which fortunately she hadn't placed in the holster yet. Whirling around she swore, "Damn it, Marshall! Don't you know how to knock?"

"I kind of have my hands full and your door was unlocked," he replied, handing her the tray with the two cups of coffee. But keeping a hold of the paper bag.

"So what did you get this time? Tutti-frutti cream cheese cotton candy or the pineapple up-side down cake with vanilla ice cream?" Mary joked.

"I have cinnamon raisin and blueberry bagels for you; and apple pie and chocolate chip for me," Marshall replied setting the bag on the counter.

Mary grabbed up the bag and disregarding the fact the apple pie flavored bagels were his, she snatched one and bit into it.. "Mmm. Not to bad," she said rather indistinctly.

Marshall simply shook his head and snatched the bag back determined to have at least the other apple pie flavored bagel.

She quickly finished off the bagel and saw that he was now glancing at his watch and frowning. "Okay. Just let me grab my stuff and I'll be ready," she said going to get her guns and badge.

"I'll be waiting outside for you," Marshall said, picking up the bag and his half finished coffee.

"I'll be just a minute," Mary promised.

"Well I've discovered one good thing about this whole arrangement," Marshall commented as he watched her climb in the passenger seat.

"And what would that happen to be?

At least as long as I'm acting as your chauffer you are getting to work on time," he replied starting the engine.

"Enjoy it while you can because tomorrow I get my car back," Mary reminded him.

"Oh yeah. I can hardly wait," came the muttered reply.

"I've already had to deal with one call about the condition you left the SUV in yesterday," was the first thing Stan said when they arrived at the office.

"Well, it's obviously not our fault that the witness was car sick," Mary pointed out.

"It depends," their boss replied and looked over to Marshall. "Was she driving like Dale Jr. trying to win the _Daytona 500 _?"

"No, Sir. The traffic wouldn't let her," Marshall replied and looked back at his partner. "You know one these days flashing your badge isn't going to get you out of a speeding ticket."

"I have other things I can flash. Besides you drive like and old lady sometimes," Mary retorted.

"I drive carefully. _Care-full-ee,_," he stated distinctly pronouncing each syllable. "Speed limits and traffic laws are in place for a reason-"

"Enough! Both of you! Go pick up your witness and get back to work!" Stan ordered as he headed fro his office. He watched them head out still carrying on their conversation and shook his head. Although they had the tendency to drive each other and often anyone in the surrounding vicinity to the point of distraction, they were inarguably his two best marshals and he supposed he would fight like Hell to keep from losing either one of them.


End file.
